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So, as I’ve mentioned, I’m now enamored with TEDTalks.

During my subway ride home from work, I watched one that presented a different view to African aid.
I was immediately intrigued when the speaker brought up the issue of western media constantly portraying Africa as a placed filled with despair,hopelessness, and civil wars…
He said:“The media is telling the truth about Africa and nothing about the truth”

So I’ve decided to transcribe this speech and put it here on my blog for people to read!

I took a 3hour nap today after work, so since I’m awake, I figured I’ll start typing now! But then I reached one page of text for just the first 5 minutes (and I skipped his introductory greetings) and I’ve decided to just link to the video/audio on the TED website.
I mean, they’re free to watch and download, so why not?!
plus… who would read 3 pages of text, when they could watch a 15min video instead?

anyways,
since I did write up the beginning bits, here’s a snippet:
you can read this and if you’re interested in knowing more, you can then watch the video!
..or, you could compare my text to the video and then tell me what I typed wrongly… (oh, that’d be great fun! …please don’t do that. )

Andrew Mwenda: Let’s Take a New Look at African Aid

“…I want to say that there are two things that we need to connect: How the media covers Africa in the west, and the consequences of that. By displaying despair, helplessness and hopelessness, the media is telling the truth about Africa and nothing about the truth. However, the media is not telling us the whole truth, because despair, civil war, hunger and famine, although they’re part of our African reality, they’re not the only African reality and secondly they’re the smallest reality.

Africa has 53 nations, we have civil war only in 6 countries. Which means the media are covering only 6 countries. Africa has immense opportunities that never navigate through the web of despair and helplessness that the western media largely presents to its audience. The effect of that presentation is it appeals to sympathy, it appeals to pity, it appeals to something called charity. And as a consequence, the western view of Africa’s economic dilemma is framed wrongly.

The wrong framing is a product of thinking that Africa is a place of despair. ‘What should be do with it? We should give food to the hungry, we should deliver medicines to those who are ill, we should send peace-keeping troops to serve those who are facing civil war.’ And in the process Africa has been stripped of self initiative.

I want to say that it is important to recognize that Africa has fundamental weaknesses. But equally it has opportunity and lots of potential. We need to reframe the challenge that is facing Africa, from a challenge of despair, which is called Poverty Reduction, to a challenge of hope. We frame it as a challenge of hope, which is Wealth Creation. The challenge facing all those who are interested in Africa is not a challenge of reducing poverty, it should be a challenge of creating wealth.

Once we change those two things – if you say the Africans are poor and they need poverty reduction, you have the international (?) of good intentions moving on to the continent with what? Medicines for the poor, food and relief for those who are hungry, and peace-keepers for those who are facing civil war. And in the process none of these things are really productive, because you are treating the symptoms, not the causes of Africa’s fundamental problems. Sending somebody to school and giving them medicines, ladies and gentlemen, does not create wealth for them. Wealth is a function of income and income comes from you finding a profitable trading opportunity or a well-paying job. Now, once we begin to talk about wealth creation in Africa, our second challenge is: who are the wealth creating agents in a society?

They are entrepreneurs.”
//

I had a tough time trying to find a place to stop that quote! …there’s so much more in the video!
…if it’s not obvious yet… I highly recommend!

that said,
I might as well just embed the video here!

alright, so I can’t stop watching the ‘Yes We Can’ video.

I’m definitely not American (and I have issues with the idea that America itself will save the world of all its problems) but still, I think the video is AMAZING!
like seriously,
a really great speech + great rhythm + fun harmonies + acoustic guitar + violin + Herbie Hancock on the piano…
!!!
what more could you ask for?!
(hmm, maybe clapping? lol. I don’t think that’d work with this though…)

anyways, here are the lyrics:

//
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.
Yes we can.
Yes we can.
Yes we can.
Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea —

Yes. We. Can.
Yes. We. Can.
Yes. We. Can.
Yes. We. Can.
Yes. We. Can.

//

here’s the video… for anyone who hasn’t seen it..

I’m only going to watch it ONE MORE TIME!

(I just realized that there IS clapping! the crowd in the background claps while they chant ‘yes we can’! sweet!!)
okay, maybe I’ll watch it again….. but then that’s it!
…for tonight.